Torrey Pines (south)

So its been a while.. hopefully I can get back into the swing of things over the next few summer months. Anyway, Torrey Pines has been my first experience and hopefully not my last of american golf.

From what I am aware it can be exceedingly difficult to play many of the country's top courses so I jumped at the chance to get on this very public US open championship venue and obviously host to a regular PGA tour event. In fact I recall this course pretty well from playing 'tiger woods' on my games console so it was funny how many holes I recalled and how short I subsequently hit the ball!

we got up exceedingly early to get there for the shotgun start where we wandered to the 7th hole  (stroke index 1).

Not the best light to start the day in and the 7th is a fine tough dog leg to challenge you at 6 in the morning. The strong bunkering certainly a plus point of the course.

The 8th and certainly the 9th are not the most inspiring of holes, especially with the very nice industrial surrounds to the 9th fairway but the 10th I found was a well designed short par 4 with an undulating green.

The 11th is another par 3, testing at 190 yards and although visually appealing, is very similar in nature to the later par 3 we played, number 16.

Soon we get to the 13th, for me one of the strongest and unique holes on the course. A par 5 with bunkers right, trees left with a subsequent chasm to hit down into and an approach to an elevated green 5 large bunkers running up. If only they had built more holes like this..

The next is also a strong par 4 where position off the tee is key to maximise line to the green, promptly followed by one of the weakest holes on the course. The 15th really doesn't have much going for it and although I managed my first birdie there, it is just not the sort of hole I expect to see at a championship venue.

Following the 18th and it's memorable little pitch over the greenside pond we get to what was in my view the strongest section of the course.

The 1st is a strong par 4 that I imagine would have been very tough with the rough up. The second is a good par 4 with a drive over the crest of a hill to a very appealing second shot (below)

Next is the picture postcard par 3 third that had me thinking back to my days at Kauri cliffs albeit only for a hole or two. A lovely golf hole, below.

Up next, another good cliffside hole par 5 with a hint of infinity green. Once again the feature is of well placed bunkers at driving distance with a well contoured green.

a rare moment of sun at just the right time on the par 5 fouth hole.

So Torrey Pines, a decent track but let down by average conditioning, too many average holes and not enough great ones. Glad to have played it but know that California has so much more to offer.. Next time it will have to be monterey.

Castle Stuart

Home of the Scottish open for the last few years, this certainly falls into the category of great modern courses. Only open for the last 4 years or so, Mark Parsinen and Co have in my view done a fantastic job in making the course appear that it has been there for many a year. The views over the Moray Firth are stunning, especially at the end of a long summers day and it's a course that is simply fun to play.

Above, the par 5 second highlights the very generous fairway with the option of the high or low road, leading to one of many infinity style greens looking out onto the firth. 

The third is probably the best hole on the course, tiny at only 250 yards or so but is one of the ultimate risk, reward holes and judging by the scores at the scottish open that ranged from 2 to 6 show that almost anything is possible. The use of the sleepers as oppose to bunkering was a very nice addition and adds difficulty to the greenside approach if you are long and left ( below)

 Quite a bit of photography done here doing last years Scottish open, before being roused by the stewards!

The 4th, as with many of the holes at Castle stuart is framed towards one of the local sites of in the distance. In this case it is Castle stuart itself that sits proudly behind the green. Though in my view the hole itself is probably the weakest of a good bunch of par 3s.

Castle Stuart is certainly in the same mould as Kingsbarns and with the themes of width and strategy apparent on both. Likewise the greens in my view are excellent at both tracks and offer a great variety of contours, certainly punishing if you end up on the wrong side.

Looking down the fairway on the 9th, one of my favourite par 4s here with a fantastic waste area if you leave your approach short.

The back 9 begins with a couple of cracking holes. 10 is a wonderful par 4 next to the water with a well placed bunker to be avoided from the tee. 11 is their signature par 3 and a hole I would put on my dream 18 holes. Only a short iron but with water long, sand short and a tricky run off for those who bail out to the right.

The 18th below is a fitting end to the round.  Along par 5 but plays downhill and offers a great risky second over a simply enormous waste area and another rivetted face close to the green.

So Castle Stuart certainly fits the mould of many a modern day architect but how does it rate compared to Parsinen's other work in Fife.. There might be some debate on this, I'm not too sure but I would still go for Kingsbarns which purely as a golf course I think just offers a little more. The rankings would seem to agree with that view but in the end who really cares!

 I suppose the weakness of both of these courses is the lack of trouble from the tees. A couple of well placed bunkers on the par 4s and 5s would add a great deal to both. Obviously they are not designed to be overly penal and to offer enjoyment for golfers of all standards. In that regard these courses are a resounding success.

Cape Kidnappers

Well this was without doubt one of the most highly anticipated games of golf of my life. Im sure I stumbled across those famous aerial shots a few years ago and thought that once in my life ( at least once) I would get there. As it happened it was a glorious early summer day and the 2 hour drive from taupo was beautiful in itself. Once reaching the gates it takes another 10 minutes driving through some hilly farmland and avoiding sheep before you arrive at the ranch style clubhouse.

From the outset you can see its a different style to Kauri cliffs, very classy but more rustic in design both of the club and the course, and without the jaw-droppingviews that greet you at Kauri. A bit minimalist in terms of visitors that day too..

The low key clubhouse above with the token wheelbarrow of golf balls to greet you at the driving range below.

 The first is a great opener with a fairly generous landing area followed by a mid iron second over  a small valley to a green well protected with bunkers to the left and with slopes off the front and back.

The first 4 holes all play inland and it certainly was surprising to play without the views that you expect. Each of them was strong in its own right without being spectacular. The 5th for me was a great mid length par 4 with a central fairway bunker and a challenging second to a green that gives the first view of the water 400 feet below.


This is followed by the mammoth 230 yard par 3 playing over a huge gorge and was the first real awe inspiring moment of the round, until I dumped the ball into the bushes.. Below the 6th green. Unfortunately the greens were still recovering from a core done 3 weeks prior.

The 7th, below is another very good par 4 that depending on length and bounce could see you only 80 yards from the front. The approach down the hill to the raised green makes it look like a very narrow target, though the green is actually pretty huge.

The 8th plays  180 yards over a gully to a heavily contoured green. Named 'backstop' probably due to the large ridge sitting in the middle of the green that in normal conditions would allow many a shot to filter down towards the hole in a mini punchbowl style. 8th green below.

The first standout hole for me on the back 9 was the aptly named 'infinity' 12. A bunkerless 450 yards par 4 that certainly doesn't need any further distractions. On this glorious day, looking to the green that seemed to hover like a mirage over the water below was a bit of an almighty experience for me.. That was what I was expecting!

The very next 13th is a great little par 3 perched on the edge of the cliff with a bunker on the left of the green that isn't for those with a fear of heights.

14 is a sensational cape style hole with its green modelled on the 17th at St. Andrews though maybe not exactly now after  Mr Hawtree's work on the original.

The next is possibly the most controversial of all the holes at Cape Kidnappers ' Pirates plank' plays 650 yards dead straight with no bunkers but with some huge drop offs on either side of the fairway. Is it just a way of getting to the spectacular 16th tee, possibly... Though I was hugely intimidated by the sheer look of it and I wonder if thats what they were looking for.

The 18th provides an interesting finish with its punchbowl green that gathers anything vaguely close to the green down closer to the hole and is an entertaining finish to a very interesting and spectacular course..

So overall its a very different course to what you see from the pictures. Its a great experience but did leave me thinking 'did I overhype it', or maybe its because i just came down from Kauri cliffs and expected a similar sort of track. I daresay I would love a second chance to work it out.

The Dunes

The Dunes, seen as possibly the 3rd best public access course behind Barnbougle and lost farm,  is located in the Mornington Peninsula roughly an hour form Melbourne. It's very decent stretch of land with a few other notable courses nearby. It was a toss up between playing Doak's St. Andrews beach and the Dunes though being the tight scotsman ( having reciprocal rights for the dunes) and more favourable tee times available prior to catching an evening flight back to sydney, it was off to the Dunes. 

If anything it exceeded my expectations and also provided some good material to play around with the camera. It's certainly in the links style with the rolling hills/dunes being fairly similar to what we see back home. It's set back from the sea and doesn't have the view of the tasmanian courses but as a golf course I'd rate it pretty close, only slightly behind the Lost farm.

It begins with a decent and testing dogleg par 4 that runs between a set of dunes. The second is an excellent par 4 with rolling farmland to the left and a great waste area before a tricky elevated green.

The 3rd below was a tricky mid short/range par 3 with a very tough cross wind to negotiate on that day,  there was a nice contrast with the dry rough compared to the lush green and surrounds.

This leads to the 4th that is an absolute cracker of a risk reward short par 4 though I struggled to get a decent shot of it at the time. just over 300 yards, downhill to sloping, sideways ( nicklaus esque) green. at the 230 mark are a set of bunkers that certainly came into play with the 3 club wind that was around at the time.

The 5th continues the fine run and is an initially blind par 5 leading to a  fairway with numerous waste style bunkers running up to the green.

The 9th completes the first loop and ends down at the clubhouse. An interesting dog leg of sorts, down hill with all the room to the right and a huge waste bunker out of site from the tee to the left. ( below)

Highlights on the back 9 would be the run of holes from 12-15.  A quote from Nick Faldo in the strokesaver reveals his appreciation of the par 5 12th that features a great option for the second to bite off as much of another huge waste area ( roughly 150 - 200 yards long) to maximise distance to the green,

Below the view looking back down to the 12th fairway.

13 is an excellent par 3 that really has a scottish feel to it with a green perched below a large dunes and well protected by a couple of bunkers at the front and one at the back. The 14th is very reminiscent of the 10th at Barnbougle with a generous fairway to the right of a huge bunker, although in this version there is a tricky fairway bunker on the driving line that improves the strategic nature of the hole ( and one that Barnbougle would benefit from too).

The 14th bunker to be avoided and green up the hill.

The course then has 2 new holes, developed after the owner purchased some extra land to prevent an apparent housing developement. Not sure what the old ones were like but the current run is very strong.

The 17th is interesting in that there is a plaque on the tee from Tom Watson who described it as 'exquisite' on his visit here. Its roughly 200 yards to an elevated green surrounded at the front by numerous bunkers. I didn't actually rate it that high but here is the green none the less.

after the relative let down of 17 ( for me anyway!) the course finishes with an excellent par 4 finish. lying between the most grand dunes on the course, the bunkerless fairway leads to a very tough elevated green that is not to be missed on the short side.

So overall this was a very good track, really struggling to find a weak hole out there and provided a lot of decent photo opportunities. Lost farm pips it only with the scenery and one or two more 'wow' moments. I'll have to return to Melbourne to sample the more fancied National as well as the sandbelt courses that I felt a bit let down by on a previous visit.

Kauri Cliffs

So its been a little while but I have been able to sample a few old favourites as well as a couple of new additions from the top 100.  Basically this trip ticked off my favourite courses in the southern hemisphere and probably 3 of them appear in my all time top 5 right now.  Kauri Cliffs ( ranked 53 ) was probably the most memorable experience of the lot. If you look at the course on it's own then yes there are better tracks out there but if you take the conditioning, scenery, 'number of memorable holes' and service then it becomes a place to be reckoned with.

After getting in passed the locked gate, a rural drive of a km or so leads you to this very well appointed club house where the pro was waiting to see us.

We arrived on a crisp bright morning and were the first ones there ( and only 1 group of a handful using the course all day). Immediatly you turn round to the front of the clubhouse and are greeted by probably the most scenic putting green and practice range on earth. ( below)

The greens were reading 12 on the stimp that day, with the 2 club wind providing a more than suitable test off the tips! The Pyramids of balls were lined up and untouched on our arrival to what initially, and for most of the day felt like our private golf course.

Dare I say it, not even Castle Stuart could live up to this scenery and Kauri is probably the most photogenic course I have been to thus far.

So after this whets the apetite, the opening few holes are actually pretty conservative. The first is only a mid length straight par 4 but the adrenaline is pumping because you know that a real treat is in store. walking down the fairway you know it certainly isn't overplayed, there is barely a divot and the definition is fantastic. 1st green below.

From here follow the second that plays downhill to a well contoured green and the 3rd that initially seems non-descript but the second shot is an interesting approach with some lone trees ( maybe almost pebble beach/ cypress point like i'm guessing). The 4th is the first world class hole and if a decent drive gets far enough, offers a tempting risk reward strategy to hit the green in 2.

The Stretch of holes from 4-7 in my view is outstanding. The 5th is an excellent par 3 roughly 190 yards demanding a controlled fade to end near the hole, and yes it crosses over an 400 foot gorge which is a bit of a recurring theme here!
Below the 5th green and 6th fairways. The undulations are marked throughout the course and its possibly the toughest walk around a course that I've had, especially that last holes on both 9s but I'm glad we opted against the buggies.Walking I feel is necessary to appreciate a course fully in my opinion though if you have a dodgy knee here you could be in trouble.

The 7th is probably the most memorable par 3 on the course for me, being 220-230 yards from the tips and all carry over the cliff and 2 bunkers. The green is pretty generous to account for this and it is certainly better being long than short..

The 8th is a monster par 5 that leads to a tough uphill par 4 9th that involves a huge carry if taking it from the backs as we did. You then finish at the clubhouse, exhausted after a big climb and ready for a break before hitting the back 9.

10-13 are very different beasts to the rest of the course, playing without the views but each are great holes in their own right. Above is the island green on the 11th.

After this brief reprieve from the awesome views onto the bay of islands it's on to the last 5 holes.. 4 of which run along the edge of the cliffs which purists may argue lessons the 'routing' quality of the course but when you see the views, there is no way on earth you just couldn't build golf holes on them.

I think this is the tee on 15, a par 5 with cliff all the way down the left, and the more you cut off with the drive the better rewarded you are for your second. The green is actually a bit too severe here, one of the few little flaws that do actually exist on the course.

16 and 17 are excellent par 4s that again tempt you to bite off more than you can chew from the cliff edges. 18 is similar to 9, involving a mamouth carry over a gorge to the fairway that then plays all uphill ( very very uphill)

By the end we were absolutely knackered but equally impressed as to call it the most memorable experience of the 6 top 100 venues we got to. Its still not the perfect course, in particular the first couple      of holes are only good, if not great. Similarities do exist between a few holes and the scale of the hills does make walking a struggle at times.

Comparing it to Cape Kidnappers, its very different. Much more manicured and visually spectacular here compared to Doak's minimalist philosophy that appears more rough around the edges, but obviously there were two designers with different philosophies. I would actually rate Kinloch as the best course of the 3 we got to on the North island so I suppose it depends on what you are after. Anyway,  who cares about rankings they are all very special places!